Hardwood Floors April May 2018

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

U.S. National Infrastructure Receives a Barely Passing Grade (Continued)

Infrastructure is an issue widely believed to have the potential for bipartisan interest and agreement in Washington. It seems to be an agenda item for every President, regardless of party a liation, but the silver bullet for achievable reform has been elusive. Although speci c details of the Trump Administration’s $1.5 trillion plan were not revealed during the State of the Union, several broad principles could be identi ed:

While there does seem to be agreement about the importance of xing and improving U.S. infrastructure, the challenge will be to identify how to fund such a massive undertaking. Many on both sides of the aisle are hesitant to allocate new dollars without o se ing cuts or are opposed to potential cuts to existing programs. A empts to raise the gas tax to fund improvements have gone nowhere. ere are also questions about the availability of state and local funding in this time of tight budgets at all levels of government, as well as concerns about how private investment dollars will be raised. An issue that may surface in the infrastructure debate is truck weight e ciency. A new coalition has formed called SHIP – Safer Hauling and Infrastructure Protection – that is advocating for heavier trucks on our nation’s interstates with the addition of a sixth axle. So the rig is not wider or longer, but will accommodate more weight without any more tire pressure on the roadway given that extra axle. e coalition is being funded by pulp and paper manufacturers and brewers like Anheuser Busch that have long complained that trucks leaving their facilities are half empty because they weigh out before they cube out. A similar proposal was defeated during consideration of the last highway bill, but shippers are commi ed to ge ing something passed in this issue space.

• Incentives for cities and states to fund local projects through dedicated revenue streams

• Block grants for increased broadband access in rural areas

• Expansion of existing federal infrastructure loan programs

• Encouraging innovative transportation efforts

• Transportation workforce development programs

• Permitting reform to shorten government approval time for infrastructure projects

Photo courtesy of Alex Bagirov

90,580 THE U.S. HAS DAMS AVERAGE AGE IS 56 YEARS OLD

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